In the spirit of Halloween, changing leaves, apple cider, and pumpkin carving, SumoSkinny has your quintessential fall activity: foliage sightseeing. 

 While some may call this idea old-fashioned or old-timer (ahem, a friend of the writer’s), what could be better than blasting your iPod, putting on the heat, and driving through a burst of color on a fall day?

 Um, probably nothing.

The only possible flaws in this plan are as follows: no gas.  No snacks.  No directions.  You’ve got to cover the gas and the snacks (stop on the way and go apple picking!), but we’ve got your directions, no problem.  We’ve done our research, and here are some great websites for you to check out before you make your trek to the trees.

1.    http://www.newhampshire.com/foliage/foliage-drives.aspx: All of the routes on this website are based in New Hampshire, so you know they’re legit.  The best part (aside from the pictures) is they are divided by location.  You can pick where you are (or where you want to be) and then choose a route within that locale—perfect if you want to keep your mileage down.
 

2.    http://www.usatoday.com/travel/destinations/2008-09-08-fall-foliage-drive_N.htm: This article is useful because it is short and sweet.  Featuring six ideas of where to go, it highlights the major areas and gets straight to the point—so you can have a destination for that spur-of-the moment drive as quickly as you made up your mind to go.

3.    http://www.yankeefoliage.com/ffeatures/foliage: Last but not least, an entire website dedicated to leaves.  Yep, it’s pretty much the tourist’s dream, but it’s useful for us native New Englanders because it not only highlights routes, but also has maps.  Featuring a “Live Fall Foliage Map” as well as a “Peak Foliage Forecast Map,” this website is sure to prepare you for any time, any day, anywhere you want to see some great changing leaves.
 

So, in response to the skeptic who thinks seeing foliage is sub-par, we recommend you try it—even if you don’t enjoy it, you can say you’ve done something characteristically New England this fall.